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Monday, May 11, 2015

Head of Russian Church: The Victory in Great Patriotic War the God's miracle - We Agree!

Moscow, - Victory of the Soviet people in the Great
Patriotic War was granted by God's providence, Patriarch Kirill of
Moscow and All Russia believes.

"It is impossible to explain this victory from the human point of view.
The Church that perceives history of humanity through the prism of
religious perception witnesses that Victory in the Great Patriotic War
was God's miracle," the patriarch said after the liturgy in St. George
Church at the Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow on the Feast of St. George the
Victory Bearer.

The Primate stressed that this miracle would have never happened if
"millions of human lives had not been sacrificed for victory, if our
whole nation had not strained themselves giving all forces to win a
victory over the enemy."

It is not by chance that the war was over on the Easter Day and the Feast of St. George.

"We believe that the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was granted
through his prayers for our suffering people who faced terrific
bloodshed, civil conflicts, revolutions, war in the first half of the
20th century. People who carefully preserved faith seemed to loose it
entirely. These terrible war strikes of thunder momentarily resurrected
Orthodox faith in people's hearts," the patriarch said.

The Icon of Our Lady of Kazan

The Icon of Our Lady of Kazan

In
1941, during World War II against Nazi Germany, the Virgin appeared to
Metropolitan Ilya of the Antiochian Church, who prayed wholeheartedly
for Russia. She instructed him to tell the Russians that they should
carry the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan in a religious procession around the
besieged city of Leningrad (now St Petersburg). Then, the Virgin said,
they should serve a prayer service before the icon in Moscow. The Virgin
said that the icon should stay with the Russian troops in Stalingrad,
and later move with them to the Russian border. Leningrad did not
surrender. Miraculously, Moscow was also saved.

During
the Battle of Stalingrad, the icon was with the Russian army on the
right bank of the Volga, and the Nazi troops could not cross the river.
The Battle of Stalingrad began with a prayer service before the Icon of
Our Lady of Kazan. Only when it was finished did the troops receive the
order to attack. The Icon of the Virgin of Kazan was at the most
important sectors of the front, and in the places where the troops were
preparing for an offensive. It was like in the old times, when in
response to earnest prayers, the Virgin instilled fear in enemies and
drove them away. Even atheists told stories of the Virgin’s help to the
Russian troops.

During
the assault on Königsberg in 1944, the Soviet troops were in a critical
situation. Suddenly, the soldiers saw their commander arrive with
priests and an icon. Many made jokes, “Just wait, they will help us”!
The commander silenced the jokers. He ordered everybody to line up and
to take off their uniform caps. When the priests finished the prayer
service, they moved to the frontline carrying the icon. The amazed
soldiers watched them going straight forward, under intense Nazi fire.
Suddenly, the Nazis stopped shooting. Then, the Russian troops received
orders to attack on the ground and from the sea. Nazis died in the
thousands. Nazi prisoners told the Russians that they saw the Virgin in
the sky before the Russians began to attack, the whole of the Nazi army
saw Her, and their weapons would not fire.